Coupons: the discount definition
Coupons define the structure and rules for discounts in your affiliate program. Think of them as templates that specify:- Discount Type: Percentage (e.g., 20% off) or Flat amount (e.g., $10 off)
- Discount Value: The actual amount or percentage
- Duration: One-time use, forever, or repeating for X months
- Restrictions: Product limits, expiration dates, maximum redemptions
Promotional codes: the customer-facing codes
Promotional codes are the actual discount codes that customers enter at checkout. They are linked to coupons and inherit their discount properties. Key characteristics:- Each promotional code is associated with one coupon
- Multiple promotional codes can share the same coupon (same discount, different codes)
- Promotional codes can be assigned to specific affiliates for tracking
- Codes can be manually created or auto-generated based on customizable structures
Example workflow
- Create a Coupon: Define a 20% discount that lasts for 3 months
- Generate Promotional Codes: Create codes like “JOHN20”, “SARAH20”, “MIKE20” that all use the same 20% discount
- Assign to Affiliates: Each code is assigned to a different affiliate for tracking
- Track Performance: Monitor which codes are used and attribute sales to the correct affiliates
- Maintain consistent discount structures across multiple affiliates
- Generate unique codes for each affiliate while keeping the same discount terms
- Update discount terms for all codes by modifying the parent coupon
- Track performance at both the coupon level (overall discount performance) and code level (individual affiliate performance)
Coupon endpoints
Create, read, update, and delete coupons.
Promotional code endpoints
Create, read, update, and delete promotional codes.